PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE 




G-EO. M. DAVEISTPORT. 



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PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE 



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G-EO. M, DAVENPORT. 






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1^ 



PREFACE. 



This Book is intended to fill a void long felt, among practical jjoultiy 
growers. We mean a treatise that shall combine all the information con- 
tained in larger works, without their verbosity and come within the means 
of every child who can procure a dozen of eggs. 



DEDICATION. 



To the women and children of New England :— I dedicate my little 
Tvork on Poultry, with the sincere wish that they may derive that benefit from 
it the Author intended and which they so richly deserve. The Author. 



Practical Experience with Poultry. 



In placing before the public my practical experience ■with poultry, I am 
actuated with a desire to benefit the working farmer. Yet it can be of 
service to others than the jiractical agricultiu'alist. The centralization of 
jiopulation to villages and cities the jDast few years, and the importation 
from the West of the great staj^les of productions such as corn, wheat, beef, 
jiork, and many other products formerly produced in the past has worked 
very disastrously for the farmer in the East and Middle States. Under the 
present condition of things he must seek some other branch of industry to 
l^rocure his subsistence from the soil. Poultry, which has heretofore been 
looked upon as one of the extras of the farm, can be made a specialty, and 
with a due exercise of brain and intelligence made profitable, and not as 
laborious as many former branches of work. It is not my purpose in tliis 
preface to vrrite a homily upon labor, or what has produced the present con- 
dition of the farmer. It is sufficient to know it is so, and some method 
should be sought to change it : that we fit ourselves to existing cu'cumstances, 
if the old methods no longer pay, ascertain what can be made profitable on 
the farm, but do not forsake the old home, and the only emplojTuent you 
understand, for new homes and some employment you do not understand. 
Tou have learned not to covet all the land that joins you, you must also learn 
not to attempt to cultivate more land than you can cultivate to advantage. 
You cannot exercise the mind mentally in thought and study, if you are physi- 
cally exhausted, "We have known people to live years in one locality, hardly 
making a living, while some new comer would see a way to better his con- 
dition. I look upon the present degenerate condition of the farmer as being 
produced by circumstances he might have controlled, but for lack of fore- 
sight in the pr.st. Now let us take soim dings, see where we are, and if we 
are in a bad condition, study some way to extricate ourselves. The United 
States the past year, 1885, imported sixteen millions four hundred and eighty- 
seven thousraid two hundred and four dozen of eggs, at the cost of two 
million six hundred and seventy-seven thousands three hundred and sixty 
dollars. This is ai:)palling. This is an agricultural country, who boast they 
feed the world, and yet cannot supply themselves with eggs — whose reasons 
for not raising farm produce has been, in the past, that they cannot sell it ; 
that the home market is glutted. This does not apply to eggs alone as 
regards importation of farm products easily produced by the working farmer. 
"We simply state it in its application to our subject. Every farmer can, and 
should, give each son and daughter who has arrive at ten years of age land 
and suitable fixings for one hundred hens, giving them an early insight of 
the duties of life, bringing with it an independence of thought a glimpse of 



their responsibilities as a higher order of beings. Teaching them work is recre- 
ation, not a task ; that resonable labor is elevating ; that idleness is debasing. 
Ton may think ten years is too early to learn ; yet you would not think four 
years too early to learn the comj^lications of the alphabet. The farm can be 
made the childi'en's school, illustratively, if you will do your part. We all 
know that children in cotton mills luiderstancl the workings of machinery at 
ten years, learned under discipline as wage-Avorkers. "We also know they will 
learu much quicker when appeal is made to their reason under the loving 
guidence of a father or mother. Never be harsh with them, and they will 
always come to you for counsel, never resorting to duplicity. When passed 
the meridian of life, a complete change in our circumstances compelled its to 
resort to some occupation, not only for a subsistance, but to divert our mind 
from the debris of the past. A friend suggested poultry, which advice we 
acted upon. 

I intend to give the reader in detail what I learned in two years' experi- 
ence in the management of poultry, making a specialty of eggs and breeding 
chickens for practical purposes, giving the subject careful attention and spar- 
ing nothing that would enable me to obtain a knowledge which should be 
satisfactory to me, a net jDrofit could be derived from keeping poultry as a 
legitimate business. My experiments the first year lessened the net results 
from what they would have been had I possessed the knowledge I now 
undertake to impart to the reader ; yet there was no time during these 
two years that I did not receive from my labor a fair remuneration : and from 
my practical experience I claim there is nothing in the present conditions of 
the practical farmer that pays as well in New England, for however low other 
jiroducts may be or forestalled by capitalists, the successful management of 
jDoultry depends on skill and intelligence, placing it beyond the reach of the 
ignorant and imcomiDctent. Neither can the market be forestalled for high 
prices on the consumer by moneyed power. No corner can be made on eggs. 

If the farmer of New England (and this will aj^ply to the Middle States 
r.t the ]5rescnt time) must depend on his daily sales cf milk, butter, veget- 
rbles, fruit, poultry and eggs, and all these products excepts eggs are more 
or loss affected by foreign producers who in the season will flood the East 
with vegetables and fruit from the Pacific coast, the Southern States and 
Bermuda, the West packing her butter and condensing her milk, the North- 
ern egg will still maintain its price. Again I reiterate, the poultry product 
in the East is paramount to all others. 

The business can be enlarged to any limit that those engaged are endowed 
with capacity. Capital may be desired at the start — industry, ability and 
perseverance will make the capital only a question of tmie. 

I do not intend to state anything in this short treatise that would cause 
the new beginner to lose money, or time, which is of more value than money, 
and if he does, I assert it vnW be from neglect of the ritles I here advance. 



And at this point I must say 75 per cent, of those en^^aging in the vocation 
will fail from neglect of details, hence the monopoly for the competent and 
persevering engaged in the occupation. 

I commenced in the month of October with 50 hens, continuing twenty-sis 
months, the first year breeding all the chickens I could, experimenting with 
every feed. In fact, my first year was a tissue of experiments, both book and 
brain, and I never realized the magnitude of my employment at the outset. 

The second year found me with one hmidred and forty hens including two 
pure light Brahma roosters and two Brown Leghorns, with twelve pure Light 
Brahma pullets and the same nmnber of j^ure Brown Leghorns ; the remain- 
der were grades of every description. My product the second year was 1,353 
dozen of eggs sold to consmners, excepting those consumed in the family and 
set for chicks, wliich were rated at the same price as those sold when thus 
used. The extreme of prices was IG and 36 cents per dozen, averaging 
twenty-six cents per dozen. My eggs were sold in the city of Worcester, 
Mass., during the months of March and April, when there was a sui'plus of 
eggs in the market I set thirty-four dozen, never setting over nine eggB 
under one hen, and in most instances seven — raising one hundred and sixty- 
four chickens, about equally divided in sex; I lost about fifty per cent, of 
my chicks by a cold storm. 

The net profit from all sold and consumed, viz., di-essed poviltry, eggs, 
maniu'e and feathers, was one dollar and thirty-six cents per hen, amounting 
to $184.96. I believe, had I continued the following year, I could have 
carried the net gain to a much higher figure, for I learned my success waa 
j)roportionate to my experience. The question is simply this, can you ascer- 
tain what is required for one hen? and if you can supply one hen all that 
is wanting for success, can you extend it to unlimited numbers '? 

There should be at all times in the hennery or yard raw vegetables, but 
they should never be cooked. I prefer potatoes or turnips, the turnips to 
be cut through the centre, but beets, carrots, parsnips, pumpkin, squash or 
sweet apple will answer. Vegetables of some kind are necessary. If boiled 
they clog the crop. Have a box of cracked bone, oyster shells and pounded 
flint stone convenient for them. The stone you can pulverize with a heavy 
hammer on another stone. Keep each article separate, and remove them at 
night from the house. They can stand out permanently when the hens are 
running at large. Occasionally cut the vegetables fine as corn. In the 
winter they must have fresh meat. Take a beef's head, hang it in such a 
position that they will have to jump about a foot for it, then they will not eat 
enough to injure them and the exercise is necessary. Remove the head at 
night from the house. In summer feed scraps twice each week. Fresh meat 
taints too quick in hot weather, and it is important that no tainted food be fed. 
Again we affirm, the hen properly cared for will eat no impurity. If one lives 
in the vicinity of a pop-corn factory, he can procure the siftings from the 



imperfect popcorn. It can be purchased much less then its real value, and it 
is the most valuable of all feeds for either hens in the laying, or growing 
chickens. One factory in the city of New York makes six hundred bushels 
annually of this feed. 

The hen must be kept quiet. Allow no officious visitors to ramble about 
the yard ; it annoys them. They love and know their attendant, desiring no 
other company. Keep the hen free from all excitement. Never was the 
phrase, "Business begets business," better exemplified than in one hen exciting 
another to lay eggs by her demonstrations. Hens must not be permitted to 
eat snow or drink snow-water, and the same applies to rain-water or water 
in sink-drains ; all soft waters are physicking to poultry. Hard or lime water 
is best — we do not mean water from steeped lime which should be avoided. 

The constant attendant can gather the eggs when he jDleases, and he need 
never act slyly or go skulking about this work ; nothing more disgusts fhe 
hen, unless boisterousness. The hen will be pleased to witness the interest 
he takes in the business. Kemember, this only applies to the constant at- 
tendant. The gathering of the eggs is the only part of the work you need 
have no rule for. Remove the windows in extreme hot days, or shade 
them so as not to reflect the sun. Endeavor as nearly as jjossible to keep 
the house at a temperature of 65 to 70 degrees. They do not lay as well in 
extremes or either heat or cold as in an even temj^erature. 

Locality. — In starting a poultry yard a southern exposure is to be pre- 
ferred. It is also desirable to be sheltered from winds and di'aughts as much 
as possible. One acre of land is sufficient for one hundred fowls. This 
gives an area of 272 superficial feet per hen. One-eighth of this should be 
free from grass or vegetation, and once in two weeks should be spaded or 
ploughed, sowing one-half bushel of oats over the surface before spading. 
The hens will soon find there are oats in the soil r^nd never cease working it 
for more. This employment is an important item in the business. Many of 
the oats will not be found until sprouted. Sprouted grain is a luxuiy for 
the hen, and beneficial. The 3'oung plant, being tender, is eagerly eaten in 
perference to grass. Build the poultry house in what you think the most 
desirable part of the plat. That j^ortion free from grass, to surround the 
house : on the lawn portion, should be planted small covers of shrubbery 
about 8 ft. square. Four or six of these covers are sufficient, and as hens are 
poison to any tree or shrub, they should be made of brush. Procure birch 
or some other brush (birch is best). Cut them when the leaves are two- 
thirds grown, they will then adhere to the twigs in dying, and last one Or 
two years. Have tlie body of the brush or main stem one and a half inches 
in diameter and throe feet long ; select that well covered with brush, mak- 
ing holes with a small bar eight inches apart and the same in depth to hold 
them in position. When becoming dilapidated you can place fresh brush on 
the top, until the stands are broken down, then renew them in full. 



Hens or chickens must not be permitted to run on tbe grass when the 
dew or rain is ui)on it. To allow poultry to get wet is one of the stumbling 
blocks to success. To avoid this that portion of the yard free from grass 
should be at the entrance of the house and should be fenced, even then 
they should not be out when raining. It is indispensable that poultry be 
not exposed to wet. 

The Hen House. — A house suitable for one hundred hens can be 30 by 20 
feet, 7 foot post ; the eastern and southern exposure to be partly glass. 
Have the windows so the sun will come in on rising, a tight plank floor, 
the plank smoothed; no part of the frame except the sills need be over 3 by 
5, and for warmth in winter and coolness in summer ha-ve it ceiled or plas- 
tered inside. Ceiling is preferable. Let the house inside be free from any 
obstructions, or what will tempt the hen to perch on any place than that al- 
lotted to them, the house to be whitewashed fall and spring. 

For ventilation, run a box one foot in the clear under the building, pro- 
curing the air pure from the outside; have a small tube of boards four inches 
in the clear running up through the floor from the main box below, with a 
valve to be opened and shut as found expedient. In warm days or when nec- 
essary the window can be opened to let any vitiated air pass out. The 
expense of such a house made of cheap lumber need not be over $100. A 
common, intelligent laborer with a carpenter can do much of the work, less- 
ening the cost. Have the perches on one side of the house fifteen inches 
apart, running lengthways of the house, made of soft wood, two by three 
scantling ; the broad side to the surface. Place movable su^^ports for them to 
rest upon. The perches sliordd not be over twelve inches from the floor. 
Have two sets of perches to be changed weekly, cleansed and aired. 

I particularly urge the low perches. More hens are killed flying from 
high perches than all other causes. They will quickly conform to the habit 
of perching low, if there is no inducement to fly higher, but if left to them,- 
selves they will get as high as they can. 

For nests place a row of connected boxes G inches deep on the front, 10 
inches at the back, with partition every 12 inches, this row of nests can be 
placed about 14 inches above the back perch. The hens can easily alight in 
them from the perch. Have a lid or cover running the entire length to let 
down at night, so steep they will not wish to perch on it. If more nests are 
wanted you can make them in other parts of the house, not over 12 inches 
from the floor. Inside of the nest should be a braided concaved mat of 
corn husks. Have two sets of those m^-ts, that they can be cleaned each 
alternate week. Straw or hay should never be used for nests, they will acquire 
a habit of searching it for seeds, procrastinating their stay upon the nest, often- 
times breaking the eggs, from which they will quickly leran to eat, a habit 
which if once formed they cannot be broken of. Poultry, like everything 
domesticated, acquire pernicious habits which should be guarded against. 



10 



A hen at maturity, will consume four ounces of food jDcr day in 
Bome form. This inchides all j^artaken of. Their food should consist of 
grain, grass or hay, vegetables, meat, bone, gravel and charcoal, which 
includes all the articles necessary. Of course, if they run at large they 
will eat many other things, and in this connection I Avill say if properly 
cared for they will eat greedily iinder other circumstances. As both the egg 
and flesh will be affected by the food to some extent, more particularly the 
eggs, it is important that they should be habituated to suitable food. Who- 
ever has the care of hens must be up before the hens. The food eaten at 
night on going to perch is now digested, and nothing is more ravenous then 
the hen with an empty crop. They begin to move on the perch uneasily, 
and as soon as it is day they will alight. It is all important they do not 
fret, waiting for their breakfast. This first meal should be soft food. 
Whole grain will not permeate the system sufficiently quick. This meal 
should not be prepared the previous night. 

Poultry must not be given stale food or vitiated water ; thus it will not 
do to leave food or water in the hennery through the night. The morning 
meal must be stimulating food. For this meal, take 4 pounds coarse wheat 
bran to one pound of corn meal, mixed with warm water (if the morning is 
cold) dissolve one tablespoonful of black or one half that of cayenne pepper 
and one tablespoonful of salt in boiling water to mix mth the feed. One 
hundred hens will eat about one pailfxil at breakfast. Twice a month put 
the following mixtiire in the feed, ^ gill to each 100 hens: Keceipt, to j^ lb. 
sulphate of iron and one oz. sulphuric acid, dissolve in 4 qts. of water, see 
that it is thoroughly incorporated in the feed. After they have eaten their 
morning meal give them h:ird w:xter to drink and have plenty of water of 
easy access to them through the day. Be sure the vessels for food or drink 
are kept clean, and to remove all vessels from the house at night. The taint 
of the hennery is injiirious. Three hours after breakfast give them the 
second meal or lunch, the same as the first meal, also any portion of the 
first that may be remaining at this time. They will not require but about 
half, as at the morning repast. One will soon learn what is required for a 
meal and govern himself accordingly. At tv/elve o'clock give a dinner of all 
the oats they can eat. If any are not consumed let them remain, but you 
will soon learn what they can eat, and do not practice giving more than they 
can eat readily. For supper, which should be at time of going on to the 
perch for night, give all the whole corn they can eat. Let, oats, barley, or 
buckwheat be substituted for corn during the short nights — say from first of 
May until the first of September. In regard to this last meal it is desirable 
the hen should have in her crop during the night what will be retained un- 
til morning, as I have before stated, the moment the crop is empty she will 
begin to be uneasy. This is to be avoided. Soft feed will not be retained 
in the crop over three hours : the crop filled with oats will last six hours. 



11 



'The same toay be said of other grains excepting corn, which will last 12 hours, 
I have come at these facts from actual examinations and am thus par- 
ticular in describing the giving of the feed, simply that the hen may be kept 
calm and quiet. On this much depends. Corn as a regular food for hens is 
too heating and should never be fed only as stated, as a retainer during the 
long nights six or seven months in the year. Another valuable food for hens is 
tomatoes. For keeping them in a perfectly healthy condition there is noth* 
ing equal to it. 

CARE OF POULTRY IX THE WINTER SEASON. 

It is important to get as many eggs in winter as possible, the price being" 
double that in summer. To do this, it is not best to force them to lay in 
July, August or September. This will prepare them for moulting early, 
and they need a strong vitality at this time, for they have to make an entire 
new set of quills, at this period. If the hen wishes to set during these 
months, let her set on artificial eggs as long as she pleases, forcing her to 
partake of food when she will not do so voluntarily. When thus sitting she 
will keep in good condition with very little food. Especial care should be 
taken she does not get infected with lice. This sitting will be rest for the 
winter, preparing her for more active work. In the case of hens in winter, I 
shall be pardoned for repetition. They must not be allowed to leave the 
house when the snow is on the ground or in windy days. You will have in 
the boxes pulverized charcoal, fine sand, as well as bone and flint stone. 
Any cobble pounded to the size of corn is suitable ; also oyster shells, etc. 
Hang the beef's head so that when pecked at it will swing. This pleases 
her, and exercise mentally is as neccessary to the hen family as to the human 
family. By no means must the hen in winter be without occupation. Not 
to waste feed, have boxes one foot wide, two long, and two inches deep, with 
strips of lath rounded and smoothed at the corners, nailed over the top, one 
inch and a half apart. This not only prevents waste, but filth. Again, re- 
member to remove all boxes at night. Never make use of broken or pounded 
earthenware ; it turns to clay in the crop. Also make no use of prepared lime,, 
either in the shape of old mortar or pure ; it dries and parches the crop. 

There should be at all times a box of early-cut hay of the best quality be- 
fore them. This to be cut fine, not over ^ inch — long hay entangles in the crop. 
Steam the hay if you wish by pouring on boiling water, but do not permit 
them to drink this water, it is too astringent. A cabbage head hung in the 
manner of the beef head is advisable. Heads of wheat or millet, barley or 
rye can be scattered over the floor in small quantities to occupy their 
time and keep them excited, or what is better a sheaf of wheat or oats himg 
like the cabbage head, for them to fly at. 

BREED OF HENS. 

From two years' experience with common dung-hill fowls and a great 
variety of grades and the few pure bloods before named, I will not decide 



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14 



on any special breed; believing as I do that more depends on manage- 
ment than on breeds. Yet the breed is a matter of importance to the prac- 
tical poulterer. As a practical worker in the business, I decided on the 
Brown Leghorn for layers and the Light Brahmas for sitting and culinaiy 
pui-poses. I thii-k the Brown Leghorn is more hard}^ than the "WTiite, yet 
both are equally good layers. I believe if my brood of 140 had been all 
Leghorns the net profit would have been much increased. She is a business 
hen who devotes herself to her work. Her pullets, if hatched in April, or 
«ven May, will lay through the winter. The cocks will mature in ninety 
days fit for broilers, and should be disposed of at that age. Neither the 
male nor female Leghorns are good for the table at a later period. They 
are much attached to their attendant, are more sensitive and intelligent 
than any breed I am conversant with; great feeders, laying a rich, solid egg, 
eight to the pound. The light Brahma is to be preferred to all others for 
eating when matured, and for a large fowl is extremely delicate and fine 
flesh, is an excellent hen to set for hatching chicks, on accoimt of its size 
and warmth of body for brooding. To the negligent manager the particular 
breed is of no moment. I am inclined to the opinion that blooded fowls are 
best for all purjioses. I mean pure bred, which I do not think applies to 
animals; for them I prefer grades, except in swine, which I prefer pure, but 
always breed with pure bred males; yet old breeds will be improved, and 
new ones brought into being in the courses of evolution, for all of which we 
must thank the fancy breeder and enthusiast iu poultry. I have always 
noticed that hens of a solid color are the hardiest and best layers, and think 
the fancy for yellow legs is only fancy. The dunghill has nearly gone out 
of existence, and grades are the poultry of the day. Everyone engaged in 
the poultry business (and in has become a business) should read some good 
special publication ui^on the subject. Ascertaining what poultry publica- 
tions there are in the country, procure a coj^y of each, and subscribe for the 
one you think best adapted to your locality. Also, procure standard works 
on the subject. For these last I prefer English or French authorities, as 
less superficial. Yet American works are more progressive and inventive 
and not as conservative. You will read much that is worthless, but you will 
read much worth retaining. The beginner of limited means will wish to 
ascertain what knowledge he can obtain before expending much time or 
money. As before stated, with proper care any breed will pay. Neglected, 
the farm has no greater curse. All engaged in it as a business will neg- 
lect no means of information, advancing with its progress from year to year. 
"He will have a pride in his occui^ation, will not be diverted by outside issues, 
resj^ecting his work sufficiently to resj^ect himself, ever remembering your 
i'esi:)ect from others will be proj^ortionate to your success. Enter into the 
si^ii'it of your occuj^ation. Look on nothing small that has large results. 
One hundred hens consume about the same amoimt of wei"-ht in food as 



15 



one cow, and cost about the same amount to purchase; no more liable to 
disease; but if you lose one hen you lose but a fraction of your propeity. 
If you lose your cow you lose a hundred hens in value. A hundred hens 
will produce much more manure than one cow. A hen farm will not require 
as much land, will not deteriorate in quaHty, while the dairy fann, in lapse 
of time, will lose its virginity and run to forest. This may not be entirely 
the fault of the dairy business, but the business has much to do with it. I 
think the poultiy occupation is calculated to bring to the surface a person's 
better qualities. 

AVho can but partake of the spirit of a brood of hens after eating their 
breakfast? so hajjpy, so noisy, like a bevy of school children just set free, 
and generally more civil. I mean no ill will to the children. They have 
not had the same watchful care I demand for your hens. But few realize 
their responsibility, whether hens or children. 

In former days the hen would lay but about 50 eggs in the season, now 
they will produce twice that amount, and I claim this last amount will be 
improved upon to that extent, that those engaged will not be satisfied with 
less than four times the first product. Formerly, a dozen of eggs would 
not weigh as much by 40 iiev cent, as now; were cheap in summer, in the 
winter they were not to be had at any price. Now you have them fresh 
throughout the year, are much firmer and richer than formerly. You very 
quickly notice the difference in a basket of eggs brought from the bush and 
those produced near the town where the facilities for progression are greater. 

DISE.VSES OF KENS. , 

The diseases of hens are few, and generally result fatally from inattention 
at the commencement. Nearly, if not quite all the ailments of i:)oultry arise 
from colds, improper ventilation, aggravated by bad food. Rouj?, the effect 
of colds, is contagious, quickly discovered liy a running at the eyes and nose. 
The moment it is noticed the hen should be isolated from the flock. If, 
after a few days, you find no more affected and this one does not improve, 
kill it. The loss is small and you may have saved the flock. 

If, on the contrary, you find a number in the same condition, put them by 
themselves in a warm, dry place, feed them with warm, soft wheat bran and 
boiled beef. Let them have the water the beef is cooked in for drink, but 
have it cold. Also, let them have cold skimmed milk; no condiments or 
seasoning, such as pepj^er, salt, or other astringents. Feed regularly three 
times each day, staying by a few minutes, and if they do not eat remove the 
food and try again. Be careful to remove all droppings when you feed; 
permit nothing filthy to be in the room. Never drug poultry. Of all ani- 
mated life, nothing suffers so much from drugging as poultry. Pip is 
caused by obstructions in the crop, brought on by eating cooked vegetables 
too hot — and they are always too hot — broken earth, Avhicli turns to clay, 
long hay or straw, causing obstriictions and made more malignant by causes 



16 



named in roup. Treatment the same as in roup, with the exception of diet. 
For food, give wheat or rye in the kernel and cold water for drink. 

APOPLEXY. 

For this there is, of course, no cure but a change of the evils it arises from, 
viz., too rich food and flying from high perches ; in this case the hen is gen- 
erally found dead in the nest or on the floor in the morning. 

FOUL LEGS. 

This is caused by the hen trailing in wet grass, not keeping the house 
clean from droppings, or by traveling in the soil ; the dirt adhering to the 
leg is cemented by the wet. It is not contagious, but the same cause that 
produces it in one produces it in the entire flock, forming scabs on the legs 
and feet, producing large protuberances which harbor vermin, ending in un- 
fitting the hen for all practical purposes. It is easily cured by bathing the 
legs in kerosene morning and evening. 

Slipping eggs on the perch is caused by food or water of a relaxing na- 
ture. Lard, tallow or fat meat will contribute to this. Fish, when fed in 
large quantities will taint the egg. I could not get my hens to eat fish 
when cared for properly. And now again in reference to meat : if fed to ex- 
cess, you will discover fragments of it in the white of the egg. Soft shelled 
eggs are from some physical derangements, and not from lack of shell-mak- 
ing food. The deformed thick-shelled eggs can be attributed to the same 
cause. You might as well affirm a cow should eat hair, to give her calf a 
coat, as that the hen should eat crude lime, to give the egg a shell. 

Gapes in chickens are caused by worms at the root of the tongue; are 
easily removed by inserting the tip end of a quill to the nest of worms, 
thereby scattering them. 

VERMIN. 

Another difficulty in the keeping of poultry is vermin. To most people 
this seems insurmountable. I foimd this the least of all the trouble in the 
management of poultry, yet hens will do nothing overrun with vermin. 
There are two species of hen lice, those infesting the hen day and night, al- 
ways remaining on them, and those that remain on the perch throughout the 
day, feeding on the hen at night, after the manner of bed bugs. Of the two, 
I think the night prowlers the most pernicious. The hen seems to have no 
remedy at night ; in the day she can wallow in the earth, which she will do. 
For day lice, bathe at the roots of the tail feathers, also the wing feathers, 
on top of the head, and under throat, twice each month. If very bad, twice 
a week. The night lice can be eradicated by removing the perches and 
stand each month, supplying their places with a second set. Always have 
two sets. Another method is to call the hens from the house on a pleas- 
ant day and fumigate the house, first making it tight, burning one-half 
pound of powdered sulphur, placing it in an iron kettle, burning at least 
one hour. This will sufi"ocate every living thing. Always remember that 



17 



prevention is better than cnre in the multiplying of lice as well as in the dis- 
eases of poultry. A disinfecting egg for nest egg is important. I used one 
turned from wood, soaked in kerosene. One can be made from siilphm-, car- 
bolic acid and oil of cedar, compressed hard ; the properties being brought 
out by the heat of the hen's body. About this nest egg, have it large like a 
goose egg ; a large egg really pleases the hen. It is on the same principle 
the man permits his hens to get lousy that he lets his garden be overrun 
with weeds — shiftlessness — and such a person should have no employment 
requiring care and thought. In the morning clean iip all droppings of the 
previous night ; put them in a barrel away from the hennery ; mix no ashes 
with them. These droppings, properly managed or sold for their intrinsic 
value, will pay a good portion of the expense of keeping the flock. Spread 
under the perches 3very day equal bulk of sand or loam as the dropj)ings of 
the night. Have the floor dry before spreading the loam. 

The manru-e from one hundred hens, mixed with loam or sand as described, 
will amount to ninety bushels yearly. For cold, wet soil, sand is preferable; 
if to be used on light, sandy soil, then loam. We ascertained twenty bushels 
of hen manure to be fully equal to ten cords of cow manure as a fertilizer. It 
must not come in direct contact with the seed. It would kill the \'itality of 
any seed. It must be considered that the labor of cultivating a crop with 
the droppings of poultry is much less than with stable droppings, taldng in 
consideration the cost of team work. A hen farm of ten acres, with 100 hens 
to the acre, would renovate an exhausted farm of 100 acres in a few years, 
under competent management. 

SALES. 

If you have one thousand or more hens, and I see no reason why the busi- 
ness cannot be extended to thousands, each hundred being kept by itself, 
you had better sell your product by contract to the town dealer. You can- 
not afford to huckster a large amount, and it detracts from the dignity of 
your occupation. Hens should be fitted for market, with exceptional instan ■ 
ces, the third year, not including the year hatched. The second year will be 
tlie most profitable for eggs (except in some large varieties). Tliey will be- 
gin to decrease in eggs the third year. I will say in this place that very 
large varieties begin to develope their best laying qualities about the time 
the smaller breeds begin to decrease ; but large fowls, like large men, are not 
active workers. Commence selling the hens you intend for market about the 
first of June. They need not be confined for fattening ; dress them in the 
condition they are in, select the poorest layers first, continuing weekly until 
the first of September ; have them all sold at that time. Chickens will come 
into the market then, and scarcely any one will buy old hens when chickens 
can be procured. After disposing of the hens, confine separately in a yard 
what young roosters you have not sold earlier for broilers, which, if you 
have consulted your own interest will be few, and sell before cold weather. 



18 



"vs^lien they are transported from a distance. You need not shut your poultry 
up in a dark place to fat them, neither should young roosters be allowed to 
run with hens at the expiration of sixty days from birth. 

In dressing poultry so as not to tear the skin, dij) them in cold water. — 
Have a barrel of cold water at hand, and on taking off the head plunge them 
in the water, holding them with the hand until they cease fluttenng, and on 
taking them out the feathers wall readily come off, lea^ang the skin smooth, 
not puffing it as when scalded, and being much more readily sold under the 
former method. Let the entrails remain iintil the fowl is cold, then they 
can be extracted much cleaner. Kemove the crop when you do the entrails. 
Then hang in a dry place where the air can circulate through them, and they 
will be better for cooking at the expiration of a week, than when first killed. 
If your chickens are not permitted to perch young, and your j)erches are 
three inches wide, you will have no defoj-med or crooked breast-bones; No 
one should risk his reputation by sending a bad or second-rate article to 
market. Another method of plucking the feathers from fowls is to tie them 
up by the legs, inserting a small knife through the neck, sej^arating the ver- 
tebra ; while in the death throes the feathers will all scrape off. There is 
nothing inhuman in this method, the bird being obli\ious to pain upon the 
separation of the vertebrae. 

BREEDING CHICKENS. 

Before entering upon this subject I must say a few words upon domesti- 
cation — I might say civilization — of the hen. A few Indians roam over large 
territories to procure food sufficient for sustaining hfe, while civilized man 
wants but little land to supply his wants. Five acres devoted to poultry, 
imder skillful management, will supply a family of six with all their wants 
and many of the luxuries of life. A single brood of partridges mil fly over 
a thousand-acre forest to find enough to eat. But one hundred hens can be 
supported on one acre of land. 

The hen must be thoroughly domesticated to be of practical value. This 
domestication is produced by your familiarity with her ; learning all her pe- 
culiarities, she in the meantime learning yours ; adapting yourselves to each 
other, with this difference : you will make her think she has her own way, 
when, in reality, she does not. We do not advise setting over nine eggs 
under the hen ; if the hen is small, seven are sufficient. Our reasons for 
this are that the chicks will come out with stronger vitality, this vitality im- 
proving as they grow older, from good brooding. A good foimdation from, 
the start in everything, means the after success. The young chicks will ap- 
pear at the end of twenty-one days. As soon as the young chicken lifts its 
head up in the dovraj feathers of the mother, the lice gathered during the 
setting will go for the young and tender chicken's head. This should be at 
tended to immediately ; a couple of drops of kerosene oil or camphor will 
drive them away. The first week chickens should be fed on hard-boiled 



19 



eggs, sufficiently hard to crumble, and with corn bread, baked so hard you 
can granulate it. After the first week omit the eggs entirely, having shallow 
boxes of food for them to go to at will. For food, have the crumbled corn 
bread, granulated beef scraps, bone and oyster shells, som- milk, with plenty 
of fresh water always at their command. "SMien thirty days old, omit the 
corn bread, feeding corn-meal mixed with skim milk, diluted with water ; 
also at this time give them wheat screenmgs, which contain various kinds of 
seeds, giving them the same care as regards cleanliness as you do your lay- 
ing hens. The chicken should not go on to the perch before the age of 
three months, and the mother should be the judge as to time of weaning. 

Let the hen with chickens be cooped the first four weeks ; she will brood 
the chickens much more. Care should be taken to move the coops every al- 
ternate day. Also keep the brooding hens and chickens separate from the 
laying hens. To break a hen from setting, confine her in an open cooi> 
where she can see the other hens, and she will soon begin to sing, when she 
can be set at large. 

We have refrained from saying anything in regard to incubators, simply 
from the fact that we have no practical knowledge of them, other than wit- 
nessing their operations at the Madison Square Garden exhibitions in New 
York. That they perform the work assigned to them well is unquestionable. 
To us the only objection seems the after brooding. But we are assured by 
those using them that the artificial brooding is equal to the brooding of the 
mother. Presuming this to be so, then, for extensive operations, they would 
be advantageous as well as economical. They are extensively used about 
New York City for rearing early chickens to supply that market. 

CONrrNING POULTRY 

Hens will not fly over any fence without first alighting on the top. Hence 
the fence should have no resting place there. A picket fence 3 or 4 ft. high 
will keep them in their limits. Should there be an unruly one, dispose of it 
before it contaminates the flock. 

A very good, cheap and efficient fence can be made from birch brash, such 
as mentioned for covers in a foimer part of this work. A man can make 100 
feet per day of this kind of fence, interlacing the slender twigs at the bottom, 
the branches projecting upward from the top. They will not attempt to 
rest upon them. Hens are never known to alight on the slender limbs of a 
tree, as birds will. A wire netting 18 inches high for the foundation fence, 
with the twigs of birches interlacing the meshes, projecting upward makes 
a good, cheap and dui'able fence, with occasional repairing; it also pleases 
the hens. 

A famUy in the city can keep a bevy of a dozen hens to advantage in a 
back yard of 300 square feet. They will be very productive, creating no 
filth or vermin if you follow the details laid down; but unless one feels an. 



20 



interest in poultry, he shoiild not attempt it. In the city you should not raise 
chickens, but the hens jjroperly managed will keep you in fresh eggs. 

The average farmer will speak depreciatingly of keeping hens. His only- 
idea of the business is a flock running at large over his j^remises, making 
everytliing filthy they come in contact with, scratching his garden in the 
spring and his grain as soon as ho^^sed in the fall. He cannot tell what 
nimiber he has; neither cares. He gets an egg if he can find the nest, and. 
some chickens for Thanksgiving if he can catch them. They are as antago- 
nistic to him as he to them. Could he come to see the importance of this 
business, he would appreciate it. 

We intended saying, when speaking of chickens in another part of this 
book, that it is not advisable to hatch them after the first of May, if you 
wish for pullets to lay the following winter. If hatched early they will lay 
the first winter, presuming the rules are followed as mentioned for breeding. 

As no poultry moult the first season, the earlier they are hatched in the 
Spring the sooner will they moult the succeeding season. When moulting 
you will feed freely corn, sun-flower seed, buckwheat, meat, or any rich food, 
without regard to their laying eggs, but change the feed when through moult- 
ing. 

In regard to the one-acre yard and single poultry house I occupied for my 
hens. This, I think, could be subdivided into four yards, wdth twenty-five 
hens in each, or eight yards with twelve hens each, wdth henneries propor- 
tionately arranged, requiring but little more work in the case, and perhaps 
enhancing the product. We also think a well-ventilated open basement or 
cellar might produce more eggs in winter. 

Chickens hatched in March and April should have a fire in the room they 
run in if there is any danger of being chilled. Care is very neccessaiy with 
chickens brought out thus early to keep them improving. 

We must apologize to the reader for omitting to make mention of the many 
different breeds of poultry. As reporter for the American Dairyman we 
have attended the numerous poultry exhibitions in Madison Square Garden^ 
New York, but have seen nothing to change our opinion as to the special 
breeds to keep from those named in the earlier part of this work. Of over 
fifty different breeds, those we should desire to experiment with,or rather 
those we thought of the most practical value, were Pljonouth Rock, Wyan- 
dottes, Dominiques, Andalusians, Houdans and Dorkings. It is for those 
engaged in the business to exercise their own good sense and judgment in. 
the prosecution of their work, never forgetting that minor details are not to 
be lost sight of. 

It is said by most agricultural journals, poultry keeping, to be lucrative, 
must be confined to small numbers ; but it is to be remembered that special 
agricultural i)apers are simply reflectors of public sentiment among farmers, 
often made up of contributions from those who theorize without practice. 



21 



A young man of my acquaintance in Windham County, Connecticut, on 
being married, purchased ten acres of land, leasing a small cottage adjoining. 
He, with the assistance of his wife, commenced the poultry business, divid-' 
ing his land into ten lots of one acre each, having on each all the appurte- ^ 
nances for keeping 100 hens. At the time of visiting his place he had been 
five years in the occupation, keeping a minute account of expenses and 
income. Cheerfully showing me his books, we found his annual profits 
were one dollar and forty-five cents per hen above all cost excepting the 
labor of himself and wdfe, six hours at different periods of the day, but it 
was light work. We could not but contrast the contented cheerfulness of 
this couple with a couple in an adjoining town in the same county possess- 
ing 400 acres of land, yet unable to get a living ; but, nevertheless, view- 
ing with contempt the hen business of Mr. M and his estimable wife. 

The public have been made familiar with the enterprise of Mr. Hawkins 
through the numerous poultry exhibitions at Madison Square Garden. Mr. 
Hawkins has a very successful poultry farm in Lancaster, Worcester County, 
Mass., keeping six thousand, in the gross, of sj^ecial breeds, shipping them 
over the country, and through this employment has acquired a competence, 
also proving the fact that large numbers can be kept on the same farm. 

France leads the world in its production of poultry and eggs. She has 
immense numbers of small farmers, proprietors or lease holders, who raise 
poultry and eggs for exportation to London and other large places on the conti- 
nent. Her people enjoy that supreme contentment and pleasm-e which can 
only be derived from working the soil under the broad canopy of heaven, 
lia\ing no more land than they can work themselves without overworking, 
having plenty of time to educate their children, forming and molding theii* 
infant minds in such a manner that an impression is left which can never be 
effaced. Such are the attachments of the French people to home, they have 
no desire to emigrate. Her capitalists learned a lesson in the revolution of 
1793. She learned in that and succeeding social convulsions, that there is 
a limit to the endurance of man. 

One last word to the mothers and children of the rural sections. In 1883 
the poultry product of this country amoiinted to five hundred and sixty 
millions of dollars. It was double the value of the dairy j^roduct and more 
than double the value of the cotton crop. For this immense product 
the country is indebted almost entirely to you. But you are not credited ; 
do not even know the fact yourselves, your products flow from every hill- 
side and valley. Shall the children of farmers have a fair showing at home, 
or shall they be forced to accept of employment as factory operatives, shop- 
girls or saleswomen, etc.? We have never yet seen the girl who would de'- 
sert home and home associations if home was made desirable and an oppor^ 
tunity given to advance herself there. 



22 



One more word to the wives and daughters of farmers, from one who knows 
full well the trammels of their surroundings. To you the coiuitry is in debt 
for its poultry and eggs. Without realizing the fact, you are driven to 
this work from sheer necessity for means to supply the many things you need 
and ought to have. At the present day the husband and father is battling 
against the head-tide of monopoly in producing corn, wheat, beef and pork. 
He has become unconsciously an aristocratic pauper. Should he have a 
dollar extra above his wants he sinks it in a savings bank to be drawn by the 
capitalist to corner wheat, or build uj) the city — money he should use to 
beautify his own home and surroundings. 

And now one word to farmers from one who is of them. The rules that 
governed your fathers in their generation, are not the rules to govern you 
in your generation. It was as impossible for them to know what your wants 
might be as it would be for you in your manhood to wear the swaddling 
clothes of your infancy. If you can see where your parents erred in your 
early training, see to it you do not commit the error in the training of your 
boys. Give them some inducement to stay at home; take no advantage of 
yoiir legal right to twenty-one years, but let them have the freedom that will 
make home desirable. Be a boy in your manhood, making a man of them in 
their boyhood. One word to the boys and girls, and we have done. We 
would not take from youth one jot or tittle of its joyousness. We can be 
young but once ; the morning is fresh the evening is weary. We wish you 
to find real amusement in what will conduce to your mental and material 
comfort. The two are insei^arable. Never wish for what you don't need, 
because some of your mates possess it. Cultivate a taste for reading, and 
all sides of a question ; avoid as much as possible all prejudice ; cultivate can- 
dor and charity ; inform youi'selves of the world you know and see. la 
your pursuit for knowledge travel the highway of science ; get familar with 
geology — you should know what the soil is formed of; astronomy — you 
should learn something of the heavens you hear so much about ; chemis- 
tiy — it is necessary in these days of adulteration ; botany — that you may 
know about plants as well as see them ; geography — you learn the earth's 
sui'face without traveling. All these studies lead you to think, give you 
an inquiring mind ; make you nobler, purer, better. 

GEESE. 

The common goose was found domesticated as far back as when Csesar 
first came to Britain, and has been a popular fowl for the table, its feathers 
for beds and its quills for writing ever since. We well remember when no 
other pen was in use but the pen made from the goose-quill. 

The wild goose of America, which migrates from north to south, is a very 
liandsome bird, and will thrive and breed well in a domesticated state ; is 
good for the table, and in all respects, we think, equal to the domesticated 
goose of Europe under like treatment. 



23 



Its head, two-thirds of the neck, the large quills, rump and tail are black, 
the back and wings are a light brown, the base of the neck and the under 
plumage pale gray or Avhite. There are a few white feathers about the eye. 
A Avhite cravat of a kidney shape forms a conspicuous mark on the throat, 
the bill and feet are black. The above description of the wild goose we 
jotted down while viewing a domesticated wild goose in Centi'al Park. 

When domesticated it ceases to be so strictly monogamous as in a wild 
state. 

The wild geese migrate in the spring north, returning in the fall to their 
Avinter quarters. AVhen they commence their journey from the south north- 
ward early, the farmer knows spring will open early; if they commence their 
return early in the fall, he knows the winter is nigh. Some years they begin 
to migrate as early as the 15th of March, and to return as late as the 1st of 
November. Other years their migrations may be three weeks later or 
earlier. Their instinct in this respect is truly phenomenal. They fly in the 
shape of the letter A, with a leader, in flocks of from thirty to one hundred, 
making a very discordant noise as they pass. If the atmosphere is hazy 
they will fly low, often within reach of the sportsman's rifle, and sometimes 
one is brought to the earth. They never fly over cities or villages unless 
lost in the fog. AVe recollect the leader of a flock of about fifty being shot, 
when the entire flock became so demoralized they tiu'ned about in their 
course, alighting on a small pond in the vicinity, seemingly stupefied, and 
were all captured in a few days. 

The following season some lilies, of a bright red color, but in other respects 
like the white lily, were found growing in this pond; the seed were supposed 
to have been deposited by the geese. It is be regi-eted that they were after- 
ward destroyed by curiosity-mongers. AVild geese are exceedingly fond of 
cranberries, and scatter these and other seeds in going over the country, 
which, if congenial to the soil and climate, take root and become indigenous 
to the coimtry. 

In a good pasture geese will nearly get their living. Turning their head 
sidewise, they nip the grass off quite close and consume a good quantity. 
The idea that nothing will feed after geese arises from the fact that nothing 
can feed after them.They nip the grass so close that none remains until time 
restores its growth. Different flocks of geese will keep distinct, and a good 
feed of corn at roosting time will keep up the wish and willingness to return 
home at night. The feathers have a high market value, and are taken from 
the geese to save their loss at moulting time. At that time, the skin rotmd 
the shaft of the old feathers shrivels for want of nom-ishment, the moulting 
feathers come away with a touch, and the poultiy woman takes only tnose 
that are ready to fall. If this process is not managed with the greatest care 
and tenderness, it may be revoltingly cruel; but if it be confined to the re- 
moval of the moulting feathers, it is less so than the goose-plucking we often 



24 



hear of. The goose house or shed need not be enth-ely closed. The roof 
should be tight, so as not to let in the ram, and care should be taken to 
perclude the cold winds on the geese at night. The floor should be dry and 
the straw should be removed as often as cleanliness requires, and always 
kept di'y. 

Geese are essentially vegetable feeders; they will eat any kind of grain, any 
good quality of grass or any sort of garden vegetation. They are clean 
feeders, and will not touch offal or animal food of any kind. If the geese can 
have a pond at command within the day's range, so mxich the better; but 
they can do without it. The old geese require a little corn twice a day — a 
mere sprinkle in the morning if they have the opportunity of doing much 
for themselves, and a good feed at night. It is a good thing to feed the 
breeding-stock well in the winter, to promote early laying and sitting, for 
the chance of the goose producing a second brood the same year. At the 
beginning of the breeding season feed freely plenty of boiled barley, corn, 
wheat, or any kind of meal. 

In mild seasons the goose will lay early. She should have a good, large 
nest in a secure, quiet corner. She can cover about fifteen eggs at a sitting, 
w4iich takes thirty days. See that plenty of food and water are at hand for 
her when she leaves the nest. She is a patient, good sitter and a good 
mother. It is unnecessary to separate her from the gander when she sits, 
as he will take an interest in her work and be as good a father to the goslings 
as she is a mother. 

The gander quite assumes his monogamous halnts when the goose sits 
and hatches, devotes himself to her entirely and puts forth his no small de- 
gree of strength and vigilance in her defense and that of her little ones. 
He is so good a defender that there is no better plan than to put the brood 
and their parents into an inclosiu-e together. The goose will not be inter- 
fered with while she is hatching. If any attem2)t to meddle be made, she 
only injures her brood intending to defend them. 

The little ones may be fed on corn or wheat meal, with some cooling 
green food chopped up with it, such as grass, parsley, etc. After a few 
w^eeks you can feed any variety of meal with caution. 

At first they should not be put out in the morning until the grass is dry, 
and they should be housed early at night with a good bed of clean straw. 
They are reared with little care or trouble, but where they have their rang- 
es wild hemlock and poisonous night-shade should be destroyed. "What is 
known among children in the country as the pollywog is sure death to the 
goslings ; the old birds are too wise to eat them. The young birds should nev- 
er be allowed to fall off in condition, but kept up by constant good feeding 
until wanted for the table or market. They can scarcely be too highly fed if 
large size is desired. 



25 



For breeding, allow three geese to a gander. Let them be of mature age, 
and they will do Avell up to twenty years. If the season is early, they will 
lay early in March, except in the Northern latitude where it will be a little, 
later. They usually lay every other day, and if the eggs are left they will 
want to sit when they have about twelve or fifteen ; but if they are removed 
they will oftan lay a great number. They will sit twice a year, and occasion- 
ally three times. 

In contradiction to the saying that nothing will eat after geese, it is well 
known that their manure is excellent for improving the grass of coarse 
meadow lands, and that cows relish the feed. It is a very powerful manixre, 
and is needed in but moderate quantities. When young geese are penned 
up to fatten, from six to ten will do better together than a smaller number. 
Feed them for a couple of weeks on corn in water, and finish their fattening 
with meal. The house or inclosure in which they are put should be kept 
quiet, dry, warm and rather dark. Before the time for their being killed, if 
they are allowed to go in the water, they will be picked more easily, and 
the feathers be better and cleaner. 



We give the following account of a goose farm in Mansfield, Biistol 
County Massachusetts, by George A. Stockwell and i)ublished in the 
Agricultural Review, {Scotland). 

A Goose Farm. 

By George A. Stockwell. 

In a town of Mansfield, State of Massachusetts, is a goose farm — a farm of 
sixty acres on which geese and ducks are fattened for market. As the num- 
ber of geese is larger than that of the ducks, the farm is, in truth, a goose 
farm. About twenty years ago, Mr. G. F. Austin, since associated with his 
son, Mr. C. M. Austin, began to deal in green geese, buying the goslings in 
spring, and hurrying them toward market plumpness as speedily as corn 
and meal could make the transformation. The business has added to itself 
until sixty acres in not enough, and other and larger fields must be found. 

In April or the latter part of March, the goslings begin to andve. They 
are then three weeks or a month old, and were hatched in southern Rhode 
Island, the greater number coming from Tiverton and Little Compton, and 
the region round about. They have ample room for growth, and their ap- 
petites are ministered to with care and regularity. The gosling is a hearty 
eater, enjoys his dinner every half hour, if he can get it ; has no digestion 
troubles, and hence adds fat and tender 2uuscle quickly. In this great 
goose mill, the fledgling, the wingless gosling becomes a green goose in a 
few weeks, perhaps not fully grown, but worth more per pound in the green 
state than when the ripeness of full maturity is upon him. 



2G 



Accordingly, the 3'oung geese begin to move toward market a few weeks 
after they arrive, to take their places, a new and later crop comes to the farm. 
The goslings arrive up to September and October, the later hatched gos- 
lings coming from Canada. In the early history of the bnsiness, the pro- 
prietor went to Canada, and bought, personally, all the goslings he conld 
find. Later, an agent on the ground collects the goslings, arranging with the 
inhabitants in certain towns to rear and sell. 

No attention is paid to the breed of geese. All the proprietor wants is a 
goose-frame, and he will be responsible for its filling out. The flocks con- 
tain, ajopareutly, every known hybrid. There are individual specimens that 
appear to be pure Toulouse, and brown and China geese. From Canada 
come many "mongrels." The mongrel is a cross between the wild and tame 
goose, and, strange as it may appear, the mongrels are all mules. The 
geese lay, but there is no germ of life in the egg, from which it may be in- 
ferred that the wild goose is not a goose, but belongs to some other species 
of aquatic fowls. 

During the season 20,000 goslings came, and departed as geese. At one 
time this year, there were on the farm 13,000 geese and 7,000 ducks all in 
good spirits, and all singing their little song. Imagine 13,000 goose-screams 
combined and added to the total sum of 7,000 duck-quacks. To the un- 
tutored ear there is music in it, but the man who deals out the food, and is 
with the geese and ducks constantly, exclaims, "Noise? 'I don't hear any- 
thing!" No, he doesn't hear anything, for the same reason that an operative 
in the room with a hundred looms going at full sjDeed, does not hear any- 
thing. 

At this time of the year (near Christmas) the stock grows light, and by the 
first of January, or soon after, the last goose has gone, and the goose ma- 
chinery rests for two or three months. When the writer visited this goose 
ranch, only about 4,000 geese remained, and of this number 2,000 were in 
one flock. Did you ever see 2,000 geese together? The sight is worth a 
five-mile walk — just what the writer paid. The members of the flock appear 
to be governed by a common impulse. Now, all, or the greater number, sit 
down, and thrust the bill under a vnng (the day was cold), now they stand up 
on one leg, drawing tap the other to warm it, and now they have important 
business at the other end of the pasture, and away they go, stretching and 
craning their necks, some flying, and all running, and all making much talk 
about it. They rest awhile, and then come back in the same hilarious man- 
ner. The 2,000 came late, and are allowed to nm, but before slaughter they 
will be kept in small pens where they cannot race and run, and where they 
can only eat and drink and grow fat. In twenty pens were groups of geese 
imdergoing the final process — the process of adding the triple or quadruple 
plate of fat. From these pens they go to the coops, where they remain un- 



27 



til " empty" (they are not drawn), and then are delivered in turn to the exe- 
cutioner, the picker, the washer and dresser, and to the packer. 

What do they eat '? Scalded meal is the steady diet, fed twice a day, and 
w^iole corn once a day, three meals regular, and green stuff in its season, 
between. The average amount of grain per day fed during the nine months- 
is thirty-six bushels. The cook and waiter has been in service six years. 
A kettle holding ninety gallons is filled Avith water, and the water brought 
to the boiling point. In a large trough near are seven bushels of meal, and 
to this is added the ninety gallons of Avater. He mixes with a shovel, and 
when cooled transfers to trays on a wheelbarrow. In summer the food is- 
given cold; in winter warm, but not hot. As soon as one*' batch" is ready 
another is prepared. "When the eaters are more numerous, the cook can be 
cook only, and another man Avaits on the goose tables. "When corn is fed to 
the big flock, a man takes a bag on his shoulder, and holding the mouth of 
the bag, lets the corn run out as he Avalks. Then may be heard the rustle of 
corn down two thousand goose necks. The scalded meal is jDlaced in troughs 
or shalloAV boxes, and a supply is at hand all the time. At the first meal in 
the morning there is a general clamor, and every one of the tAvo thousand 
demands instant relief from the pangs of hunger. If food be present the 
goose appears to be hungry every ten minutes, and helps himself. 

In the goose pens and pastures there is nothing grown except the geese, 
they have eaten, root and branch, everything that dared to grow, Avhether 
muUens, thistle or grass. About thirty aci^es of green stuff was raised for 
the geese. The oats were cut green, and without any further cutting Avere 
dealt out as to cattle. Corn was raised for the same purpose, and fed 
standing. When the corn was in the milk the geese Avere turned in. They 
ate the corn, the cob, the stalk, leaves, everything above ground, and then 
pulled up the roots. Nothing was left to indicate that a corn field had 
been there. 

The faiTQ plant consists of about a dozen different buildings, Avith a Avind- 
mill in the centre for pumping Avater. As the geese and ducks do not have 
access to natural AA'ater sources, water mvist be supplied, and this is a Avork 
of some magnitude, for no animal is so continually thirsty as a goose 
or duck. There must be abundance for di'inking, and for ducks at least 
enough for bathing. The duck must have also mud, simply mud, a j)lace 
Avhere the water stands and softens the earth. A duck on sandy soil, 
where the rain disappears as fast as it falls, wall not thrive, although sufficient 
Avater may be supplied for drinking purposes. 

About thirty men are employed throughout the nine months. In the busy 
season seventeen pickers or pluckers find enough to do. Each i^icker can 
" strip" forty geese in a day, but he must hurry, and has no time to spin- 
yams or to exchange gossip Avith his fellow pickers. At the present time, 
early part of December, two hundred and fifty geese a day are prepared for 



28 



market, and about eight hundred chickens, not raised on the place, are 
dressed every week. These are drawn, but all the geese are sent to market 
undrawn. 

The raising of geese, or any other kind of poultry, is not difficult. They 
raise themselves if food and proper care be present, but it is not always easy 
to find a market at good prices for large quantities. The proprietors of this 
goose farm have a store in Boston near the Quincy market as a distribut 
ing depot for Boston and the East, but for the West and South, shipments are 
made from the farm to three great markets. New York, Brooklyn and Phila- 
deli:)hia. A dealer in Fulton market, New York, has ordered two thousand 
geese for the holiday trade. The demand exceeds the supply. 

It is believed, or it has been said by some agriculturists, that the excreta 
of geese was useless as a fertilizer. Let this fact stand against the state- 
ment. The goose fama has become so enriched by the presence of the geese, 
that the i^roprietors do not dare to use it longer, fearing it may be un- 
healthful. Therefore, next spring, a fann of sixty acres, new land, near the 
present farm, will be used for pasture, while the old farm will be devoted to 
crops of forage, which will grow uj^on it luxuriantly. In a few years the geese 
will come back and the other farm will be cultivated. — Agricultural Review 
(Scotland). 

DUCKS. 

Dvicks are very hardy, easy to rear, and easy to feed as regards quality of 
food. They will eat almost anything with appetite and relish. As regards 
qiiantity, they are less easily satisfied, being decidedly great comsumers. 
They wall with tolerably free range, do much towards their OAvn keeping, 
foraging industriously on land and water. 

Feeding twice a day, morning and night, is quite enough for the old 
ducks, if they have liberty. Oats are the best feed for giving firmness of 
jflesh, and they are best thrown in water for them. A medley made of all 
kinds of refuse vegetables and other kitchen scraps, with a little meal, is 
good as a portion of their diet : they will eat boiled vegetables of all kinds 
with especial relish. They help largely towards their own keep if they have 
the opportunity, by eating all kinds of small reptiles and insects in great 
quantities. They are useful in the garden for destroying insects, providing 
it is at a time of the year when the hard flattening down of their tread is 
not injurious to the j)kants. They will eat filth and garbage, but this should 
be kept from those intended for cooking. 

A shed with a water-tight roof and dry ground floor is sufficient house. 
If the floor is damp, they are apt to break the eggs. However quiet the set- 
ter may l)e, there should be convenience for shutting them in at night, as 
the laying time approaches — about the first of April ; if the season is early, 
the first of March. If they are shut in every night at this time, they will 
form the habit of laying their eggs in a nest, as they lay early in the morn- 



29 



ing. They are very wandering layers, if no precaution is taken, di'opping 
their eggs about, even in the water. The appearance of weight behind, 
swimming with their tail flat on the water, are indications that the time of 
laying is near. The nest can be made of straw, on the ground ; shutting 
them up from intrusion while sitting, except at feeding time. 

Diicks begin to lay early, and are generally good layers ; wall often con- 
tinue to lay until commencing to moult. They do best with the use of a 
pond, but will thrive with a small tank, if kept well supplied. Four ducks 
to a drake is sufficient. They are too greedy, dirty and slojDpy for other 
kinds of poultry to be kept with them. It is a mistake to rob the duck of 
her privilege to set and rear her own little ones, for two reasons : 1st. Wlien 
judiciously i^laced, not iJinecessarily interfered with during setting, or cir- 
cumscribed in her ramblmgs with her little ones, she is a good mother, as 
she was a good sitter. Rearing by a hen seems to bear out the old game 
fowl breeders idea of the sitter's influence on the bi-ood she hatches and 
rears. We think all poultry, to be prosperous, should be reared by its kind 
In addition, as the duck is an aftectionate mother caring for the wellbeing of 
her brood, there is no reason why she should be denied the lot universally 
coveted by all living annuals — maternity. 

The duck makes known her wish to sit by keeping to the nest persever- 
ingly, and shows her intention not to be interfered with pretty evidently by 
bestowing a good peck with her hard, broad bill on any hand that ap- 
proaches. She so much objects to interference, that in hers, as in all similar 
cases, it is best to let her alone. When positively necessary to remove the 
eggs take her up and set her down on the outside of the door while the re- 
quisite attention to the eggs or duclding goes on. 

For a good-sized duck, from ten to twelve eggs are sufficient for a sitting. 
Give her corn near her nest, and water convenient, that she may come off" 
and feed when she wishes. It will also do her good to bathe in the water, 
imparting that warm moisture to the eggs which is favorable to incubation. 
If the duck is a quiet one, the ducklings may be left with her as she hatches. 
Wlien you think some of the little ones have been hatched a good many 
hours, some corn meal mixed with skim milk or warm water should be placed 
before the duck. She will soon teach the little one to eat. When she 
shows a wish to lead them out, she may be penned on the grass if the wea- 
ther is warm and dry ; otherwise, in a shed. 

Two or more diicks may be penned together with their young, as they 
never quarrel. For the first few weeks it is best the little ones have no 
water to immerse themselves in. It is not best to wet the down at that age. 
The mother should have a tub for bathing herself; a small mug for the little 
ones to drink from, fastened so as not to turn over, and too small to get in- 
to. They can then bathe and wash their breasts, but cannot wet the down 
about the abdomen. Their supply of water should be often renewed. 



30 



Ducks, old and young, should have a good bed of straw, or anything that 
is dry will do. The eggs do not keep as well as hens' eggs, and should be 
set fresh. 

The fattening of ducks is no difficult matter, they are so willing to aid in 
the work themselves. They will fatten at large -with extra supplies of food, 
or they may be shut up for the purpose. Corn meal, cracked corn, or indeed 
any variety of meal will answer the purpose of fattening. Nothing fattens 
so easil}^ as the duck. We give the names of the breeds of ducks which we 
should select to breed from : Aylesbury and Eouen; these are the only breeds 
we have had experience with. Any one living near a small pond can make 
the breeding of ducks exceedingly profitable. AVild ducks are common all 
over the country. "We are familiar with them on our native river; have found 
their eggs, set them under a hen, scarcely ever failing to hatch them. They 
will fly away the first opportunity in the fall, which is the best part of the 
business. They are small and ill-flavored when cooked; and if it can be call- 
ed sj^ort to hunt and kill the most harmless of all birds living, then that 
must be their redeeming virtue. But one must get nearer to them than we 
ever could to shoot them on a river. On a pond or lake they can be shot as 
they rise. They fly in a single line, like Indians on the warpath. 

TURKEYS. 

When America was first discovered the wild turkey, among other hitherto 
Tinknown birds, was found. It has now been under domestication for so 
long a period that the wild seems almost a distinct race. The wild is fast 
disappearing. It was formerly plentiful from Maine to California. It was 
migratory, keeping in flocks, yet irregular, without the systematic order per- 
taining to wild geese. In autumn the gobblers would congregate in flocks 
of ten to one hundred, seeking their food apart from the hens, who still 
kept with their broods. The season of courtship would commence about 
the first of March. In April the hen would arrange her rude nest, which was 
generally a collection of withered leaves well concealed by brush-wood, sev- 
eral hens often laying in the same nest, always keeping them well covered 
with dry leaves. The wild hen lays but one litter of eggs in the season and 
will choose dry, undulating ground as a range for her brood ; yet, in a dry 
season, the stock of wild turkeys are much more plentiful than in a wet 
season, which is an e^ddence that the wild cannot endure damj) more than 
the domesticated. At about two weeks old they begin to roost on branches 
of trees still brooded by their mother. Their food is strawberries and other 
wild berries, grass-hoppers and other insects. By the month of August the 
young birds use their wings and legs vigorously, congregating in companies 
of several broods together until after the October migration, when the males 
separate from the females. For the foregoing description of the wild turkey 
I am indebted to a former resident of North Carohna 



31 



The old birds among oiu- domestic turkeys are extremely hardy, not sub- 
ject to disease, requiring but little care beyond feeding, shelter from rain 
and a good range. The young are extremely tender, requiring constant atten- 
tion to make them prosper. There is a wonderful difference in temper and 
disjDosition between the male and female turkey. The cock is arrogant, ireful 
and implacable. The hen is gentle, good-tempered and good to her little 
ones, sometimes treading on them from her awkwardness. 

Turkeys do not attain full growth and maturity until they moult'after they 
are two years old, and for this reason should not breed mitil after that Y>e- 
riod if you wdsh for first-class birds. The hen should sit on the first litter 
of eggs she lays in the season, that they may have the best of the year to 
make their growth. The cock is generally spiteful to the hen and their young 
ones, and is not necessarily needed after the early part of the season, and the 
eggs of the hen are fertilized. The entire clutch of eggs are fertilized at the 
first intercourse. One turkey cock can serve for an entire neighborhood. He 
is in his prime from three to seven years, or even ten years. In breeding tur- 
keys, more than any other fowls, first-class birds should be selected. Their 
plumage should be black ; yet russet is not iindesirable ; but never breed 
from white plumage. In the domestication of turkeys, the hen should be 
watched when about to make her nest, and with a little humoring, will make 
it where you desire. Make her a good solid bed of straw and dry leaves in a 
snug, secluded spot, giving her a nest egg. When she seems anxious to lay 
shut her in until the egg is laid, and for the first two or three times, after 
which she will keep constant on the nest. Remove the eggs as they are 
laid, only leaving the nest egg. Keep them in a dry place of medium tem- 
perature until she wants to set, when they should be placed carefully under 
her. She is a steady setter ; will scarcely leave her nest to take necessary 
food, and should be lifted off for that purpose if going too long a time. The 
person she is familiar with should attend her. She should never be disturbed 
by others, or meddled -with unless breakage or any other unfortunate accident 
makes it necessary to arrange the nest. Presuming all to be light, the young 
can be looked for in twenty-eight or twenty-nine days. If she has been a nice 
quiet setter, leave her young with her, only removing the empty shells, but if 
she has been fidgetty, remove them, keeping them warm imtil all are hatched, 
but the mother warmth is best when she can be tnisted. The domestic- 
ated bird will sometimes lay and hatch a second brood, but it is not desirable : 
they require too much care, and are never hardy, contending with the chilly 
mornings and cold nights of Autumn. The young turkeys are extremely 
delicate, and this continues through the first six weeks ; until then they must 
not be neglected. At first the little ones should be fed on hard boiled eggs, 
chopped fine, mixed with bread cnunbs, yoiuig onion tops, lettuce, nettle and 
parsley. Give their water in shallow pans to avoid wetting the down. As 
they get older feed corn meal boiled in milk, cracked com and milk curd. They 



32 



must be constantly well fed from the first, so as to never lose condition : for 
if they once get poor they can never be restored. The most important thing- 
of all is to never let the little turkeys get wet or damp. Keep them in in the 
morning 'till the dew is off the grass, put them up before the damp of the even- 
ing, and never let them out in the rain. Farmers wives rear turkeys success 
fully by strictly obeying the above rules. 

The young cocks shoot the red about nine weeks from hatching. This is a 
critical time, and they will require rich and nutritious food, which should be 
continued. They nxnst be kept jDlump and never allowed to shrink until ready 
for their destination. The turkey will not fat perfectly until matured. Even 
the few weeks intervening between Thanksgiving and Christmas show the 
superiority of the latter, The most perfect turkey for the table is the hen 
who has lived over one season and brought up her brood. Cramming turkeys 
to fatten them is much practiced. We hardly see the necessity for this pro- 
cess, if the turkey has plenty of good feed mixed with skim milk sweetened 
with cheap molasses. 

Turkeys will make a fast and great growth getting extremely fat if the 
season is what is teirmed a grasshojDper year. Grasshoppers seem to be the 
natural food of the turkeys. We have never known but one turkey in our 
long experience to be puny, and that was a late-hatched one and we must con- 
sider them the hardiest of all the poultry after getting beyond the ten weeks 
named, when the males show the red. 

The turkey is a peculiar bird in some respects. In driving them they will 
not run under a fence, are always looking up, yet alone by themselves vdll 
quickly discover any loop-hole. Sixty years ago speculators in Vermont 
would buy large droves of turkeys of many thousands, driving them on the 
road to Boston market like cattle, a team leading them scattering corn on the 
way, endeavoring to be near trees before nightfall. Early in the morning 
they would come at call to pursue their journey. A peculiarity of the hen 
turkey is she will set continuously for a long period, if the young are removed 
from her as they are hatched and fresh eggs placed under her. We have 
known of their setting three months and their setting six months voluntarily 
has been affirmed. When sitting in this manner they become very fat, con- 
suming scarcely any food. Every farmer should certainly raise at least a 
dozen of turkeys for his own table. It is this thoughtfulness about little 
things that leaves an indelible impression on the family circle. 



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